1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixed form data broadcast playback apparatus for recording and playback information received by a digital broadcast receiver.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
As digital TV broadcasting has been started and a digital broadcast receiver called set top box has spread, a recording and/or playback apparatus connectable to the digital broadcast receiver has been developed. A digital broadcast recording and/or playback apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2002-152688 has been well-known as such a digital broadcast recording and/or playback apparatus.
A conventional technique will be explained hereinbelow by using FIGS. 23 and 24.
FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing an example 1 of a digital content playback environment that realizes a display of a program title in a conventional recording and/or playback apparatus. This figure is composed of a digital content playback device 4, a digital broadcast receiver 3 that reads the program title from the digital content playback device 4 and a TV receiver 1 that displays a program title list. The digital content playback device 4 is composed of program title information storing means 104, contents playback means 105 and contents selecting means 106, while the digital broadcast receiver 3 is provided with display means 101, program title information acquisition means 102 and program title information analyzing means 103.
The display means 101 is means for graphically displaying various information on a screen of the TV receiver 1 in order to inform a user of an operation state of the digital broadcast receiver 3, program information now receiving and information about the connected digital content playback device 4. Further, the program title information acquisition means 102 is means for transmitting a command requesting the program information to the connected digital content playback device 4 and obtaining information answered from the digital content playback device 4, that is realized, for example, by receiving and transmitting an AV/C command on IEEE 1394 interface. The program information includes a program title, recording date and time, content and genre of the program, broadcasted channel or the like. Further, the program title information analyzing means 103 is means for analyzing the program information obtained by using the program title information acquisition means 102 and taking only the information that is necessary for a user. Moreover, the program title information storing means 104 is means for storing various information about the handled program in the digital content playback device 4, and this means is realized by storing such information on a memory medium storing the program itself or on a memory device provided in the digital content playback device 4. Further, the contents playback means 105 is means for outputting the content data of the program recorded on the memory medium handled by the digital content playback device 4. It is composed of a signal reading section on a medium represented by a magnetic tape, optical disc, hard disc or the like, or signal processing circuit or the like. Moreover, the contents selecting means 106 is means for realizing the playback operation of the designated program based upon information showing where the designated program is stored on the memory medium. It is realized by a file system or the like.
Subsequently explained is a program title display in the digital content playback environment and the designation of a program playback based upon the program title display.
When receiving a request for the program information display from the user, the digital broadcast receiver 3 inquires to the digital content playback device 4 about the program title information concerning the playback content through the program title information acquisition means 102. The digital content playback device 4 takes out the program title information from the program title information storing means 104 and gives an answer to the digital broadcast receiver 3 about this information. The digital broadcast receiver 3 takes out necessary information among the program title information received via the program title information acquisition means 102 by using the program title analyzing means 103, and displays the taken-out information on the screen of the TV receiver 1 with the display means 101. Thereafter, when the user designates the program that he/she intends to reproduce, it transmits the designated program to the digital content playback device 4. The digital content playback device 4 takes out the content of the transmitted program with the contents selecting means 106 and realizes the playback of the program designated by the user by using the contents playback means 105.
FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an example 2 of a digital content playback environment that realizes a display of an operation screen in a conventional recording and/or playback apparatus. This figure is composed of a plurality of devices 2a to 2n each having an operation screen and the TV receiver 1 displaying the operation screen. Each device is provided with display means 101 for displaying the operation screen.
The display means 101 is means for graphically displaying various information on the screen of the TV receiver 1 in order to inform a user of an operation state of the each of devices 2a to 2n and handled program information.
Each of the devices 2a to 2n has the display means 101 and displays the information that is intended to be reported to the user on the screen of the TV receiver 1 with the display means 101. Since the TV receiver 1 receives an image signal outputted from the devices 2a to 2n with a separate image input terminal, the signal input is changed over upon executing the operation of each device, and the operation is performed with the image output signal of the device to be operated displayed on the screen of the TV receiver 1.
FIG. 25 shows a method of realizing a conventional storage datacasting service. In this figure, numeral 317 denotes a satellite broadcasting signal, 318 denotes an image signal, 319 denotes a data signal, 11 denotes a communication satellite transmitting the satellite broadcasting signal 317, 12 denotes a satellite broadcasting antenna receiving the satellite broadcasting signal 317 transmitted from the communication satellite 11, 13 denotes a digital broadcast receiver exclusively used for the storage datacasting service, 1 denotes the TV receiver and 124 denotes a recording medium for recording a data signal 319.
In the storage datacasting service, the satellite broadcasting signal 317 is transmitted with the image signal 318 and data signal 319 mixed therewith, then, the image signal 318 is separated from the data signal 319 in the digital broadcast receiver 13 exclusively used for the storage datacasting service, whereupon the data signal 319 is recorded on the recording medium 124. The image signal 318 is transmitted to the TV receiver 1 to be viewed. When the user would like to utilize the data broadcast, the storage datacasting service is provided by taking out the data signal 319 from the recording medium 124.